2017 New York City Marathon-Themed Running Shoes

New Balance may be the official sponsor of the New York City Marathon, but that doesn’t keep other shoe companies from getting into the frenzy of celebrating the biggest marathon in the world. (And that gigantic marathon expo.)

Here’s a look at some of the coolest shoes you’re likely to see on race day—all inspired by the biggest race in the greatest city in the world. Get a pair quickly and you may can actually be able to run the race in your new kicks.

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Altra

Altra Torin 3.0

This is a favorite of Altra fanatics, but the design gives fans even more to love. Run at dawn or dusk—the toe caps, laces, and “Run NYC” lettering for the heels are reflective. (See the next photo to see it light up.) The insole has a gritty road design, and the tongue spells out Torin in subway-map style.

The fun illustrations hit several common themes on the upper: taxis, big apples, and slices of pizza. But the shoe is still a tried-and-true workhorse. As we wrote regarding its new cushioning when it debuted in the Kayano 23: “Asics’s ‘FlyteFoam’ uses reinforced fibers in the foam to help reduce weight but improve durability.”

Whether you’re about to run a marathon through five boroughs, or just covering some daily miles through the city streets, the design on the new Adrenaline 18s shows you go all over the city. The mesh upper displays map drawings of each borough, and the insole even spells out how long you run in each one during the New York City Marathon.

When we reviewed the new Freedom ISO this spring, we loved the bounciness of the Everun midsole foam that goes throughout the length of the shoe and the stripped down upper. This version of the ISO takes its color from Lady Liberty's green patina, and the flame color from her torch gives extra pop to the outsole. People can look down and see you torching them as you pass with her torch sketched onto the bottom. (See next photo.)

For those looking for some extra support and stability, the 860 is for you. Gold color is speckled onto the midsole, gleaming on the New Balance “N,” and also on the tongue (with the official NYC Marathon logo). It gives off the grand feeling that you’re about to run the biggest marathon in the world.

One of our favorite racing shoes of 2017, the newest edition of the 1400 gets a new look for NYC. Again you get a pop of gold, and the bright red colors and thin lines will make you want to run fast as soon as you put these on.

An Editor’s Choice pick earlier this year, the Zante v3 is good for any type of run, from a quick speed workout to your marathon. We like this updated style because it will look sleek whether you’re lining up for a race or walking around town later in the day.

In our last review, we noted that the the previous version was “the most cushioned shoe in the Fresh Foam lineup and this version tested even softer.” While you’ll probably want to recover after your marathon in the city that never sleeps, the NYC on the logo and the outsole will motivate to get back out there soon in these cushioned training shoes.

Brian DalekDirector of Content Operations, Runner’s World & BicyclingBrian has spent the last 10 years focused on creating compelling news, health, and fitness content—with a particular interest on enthusiast activities like running and cycling.

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